By Craig Arcuri
In the course Introduction to Cloud Migration with Amazon Web Services, we’ll learn various techniques to perform cloud migrations. When doing cloud migrations, there are two main migrations that we can perform: virtual machine migration and database migration. This course will have a general section of cloud migration, followed by more specific sections on database migration and virtual machine migration.
The idea of the course is to allow students to follow along in their own AWS environment, if they choose to do so. The course material presents material under a company-wide scope with the given task of performing a pilot project on cloud migration. By performing smaller-scale virtual machine and database migrations, students will learn about the challenges of performing cloud migrations while following company recommendations and move forward to a larger-scale migration.
In the first section of the course, "Cloud Migration Overview", we address general techniques that are best practices for migrating to the cloud as well as specific features of the AWS platform that will support migrating databases and virtual machines to the cloud. We begin with the importance of establishing a solid performance baseline before migration and explore the importance of documenting your candidate system. Also, we’ll look at planning for your migration and some of the factors that you need to consider when scheduling your migration window. In addition, we will look at some post-migration steps that are necessary to ensure your system is operating correctly post-migration. These include running the necessary smoke test, contacting the right personnel, and preparing to establish a new baseline once the system has gone into full production.
In the next section of the class, we discuss some of the issues that are involved when migrating an on-premises database to the cloud. We look at the two major types of migrations — homogeneous and heterogeneous — and some of the issues that are unique to both. In regards to the mechanics of performing the migration, we explore various performance considerations when migrating an on-premises database system to the cloud. Afterward, we migrate a database using both homogeneous and heterogeneous techniques.
Next, we will take an in-depth look at virtual machine migrations. We look at the various techniques that are used to perform virtual machine migrations and detail the different hypervisors from which virtual machines originate. We explore the various operating systems that can be migrated, followed by an in-depth exploration of file formats used to migrate virtual machines. Finally, we will walk through the migration of a virtual machine from the AWS command-line interface, using AWS VM Import/Export. After performing an import, we will export this same virtual machine out of the AWS cloud environment. The section will conclude by walking through various ways of migrating to the cloud that are used to greatly assist in Disaster Recovery efforts.
This is an introductory course, and while the intent is not to provide an in-depth example on every possible cloud migration technique, it will provide a solid foundation in cloud migration and the skills to move forward with more complex cloud migration efforts.
